Sell your screenplay on Filmarket Hub — Part One
Presentation is key
So you’ve written a script
Congratulations! The hardest part is out of the way. Now all you need is to grab the attention of someone who can turn your idea into reality. First, let’s get the most important thing out of the way: your script should speak for itself. A great script is always a great script.
The sad truth, however, is that producers receive hundreds of 90-page scripts on a daily basis, and they simply can’t afford to read them all. So you need your script to stand out. You need to convince them that, of all the scripts waiting to be produced, yours is the one they should be reading.
That’s where this series of posts comes in: we’re going to focus on easy, accessible strategies that anyone can follow to make their screenplays more attractive to the eyes of a producer.
1. Be your own selling point
Yes, you, screenwriter! Sell yourself! You should provide as much information as you can about your previous experience. Attach your CV, links to your previous projects or short films, your IMDb page, LinkedIN profile, any awards in screenwriting competitions you may have won… You’ll find that it’s much easier to get whoever’s reading your script to believe in your idea if they should also believe in you as an author.
2. One Page to rule them all
Just as important as your profile info will be your One Page presentation. We recently wrote a pretty detailed post on how to make it visually attractive, so today we’re going to focus on a different topic: what language should it be written in? If you have an idea that could become an international success or if you’ve already translated your script, then you might want to consider writing your short description in English. If you pick another language like Spanish or French, you’ll be effectively narrowing down the amount of companies that will be interested in your script. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, however: sometimes you just have a very local story directed at a specific audience.
And be careful with your spelling and grammar! This might seem really obvious, but you only get one shot at making a good impression, so you have to make sure your script is excellent in both substance and form. It’s never a bad idea to hire a professional to translate or at least check your script for any potential mistakes.
3. What other files should you attach?
Once you’ve grabbed the attention of your future producer with your profile and One Page presentation, it’s time to take the next big step: through Filmarket Hub, the interested company will request more information. You could just attach your script and nothing else, but you’d be wasting a great opportunity. Other files like a complete, visually attractive sales dossier or a well-written, longer synopsis can be huge selling points to support your script.
And that’s all for today! These are the most basic tools that you can use to gain more visibility for your project. In future posts we’ll focus on more specific things: how to properly calculate your film’s estimated budget, how to assemble an attractive casting wish list, or what should be in a sales dossier. Stay tuned for more tips on how to sell your screenplay!
